HYDERABAD: Industries minister D Sridhar Babu said the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) was created to protect public properties, water bodies and also for the planned growth of Hyderabad apart from disaster management.
He dismissed the charges of the MLAs that the agency was creating terror among the people and advised the opposition parties not to create panic among the people. He said chief minister A Revanth Reddy was giving top priority to Hyderabad as it is the nerve centre of Telangana. The minister said it would not do any injustice to the poor and would follow the high court orders, if any. He said the govt does not want to target any person or institution through the agency and at the same time will act as per the law.
The minister introduced the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation amendment bill, making provisions for HYDRAA in the GHMC Act to delegate the powers to the commission or any agency to protect public assets in GHMC limits and also merger of 51 gram panchayats within ORR limits in the assembly on Wednesday. The govt also created some new municipalities outside the ORR. He made it clear that HYDRAA will not take away powers of GHMC.
The govt also amended the Telangana municipalities and Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, enabling the enhancement of the reservations in the local bodies.
The amendments were made so that reservations for the ward member, deputy chairman, and chairman posts will be made in every election instead of two terms, and the assembly voters list would be used for the upcoming local bodies elections. Earlier, participating in the debate on the amendments, several MLAs alleged that HYDRAA was creating terror among the people and that real estate was impacted by the agency.
Quthbullapur MLA KP Vivekanand said the state govt created HYDRAA without any working manual and background work. The BRS MLA said notices were slapped on some influential persons’ properties at Durgam Cheruvu, while the properties belonging to the poor were bulldozed without any notices.
BRS MLA, former minister P Sabitha Indra Reddy said lakhs of people live in the colonies abutting many lakes constructed houses several decades ago but are living in fear now. Many of them took permissions legally, she said.
MLA Ch Malla Reddy said three municipal corporations, nine municipalities, and 61 gram panchayats would lose their existence with expansion of GHMC or unified civic body.
AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi criticised the govt on HYDRAA, saying ‘Delhi’ was creating terror with ED, income tax department and other agencies, and now the state govt was wielding the authority against the poor.
BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy took strong exception to the remarks of Akbaruddin for using ‘Delhi’ and IT and ED. He asked the AIMIM leader why they are scared of HYDRAA if everything is legal.
